Oh, And One Other Thing: Star-studded

September 05, 2001

baseball…

By Peter Comings

* This isn't exactly today's news, but did anyone see the stupid argument between Seattle Mariners pitcher Arthur Rhodes and Cleveland Indians hitter Omar Vizquel when the two faced each other Saturday, Aug. 25 in Seattle?

It was a close game, but I can't decide if Rhodes was being petty, or if Vizquel was trying a tactical maneuver or if they took turns at each. Rhodes, wearing earrings with diamonds the size of cantaloupes, came in late in the game to pitch in relief for an injured teammate. Vizquel, who had taken one pitch from the previous man on the mound, stepped up to the plate against Rhodes and began complaining to the umpire about the glare from Rhodes ears. The bright sunlight shining from behind homeplate glistened off Rhodes' right earring, causing a sunburst clearly visible from my seat at home. Vizquel asked the umpire to ask Rhodes to remove the stud. Rhodes must have misunderstood because he reacted as if the slight Cleveland All-Star shortstop had insulted his mother.

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Rhodes puffed up his chest and fanned his feathers. Vizquel leaned on his bat at homeplate, looking at the pitcher with a face that might have incensed the Pope.

Both benches emptied, an act which should make Detroit pitcher Jeff Weaver get his ears pierced. Weaver, who could barely get his catcher to come to his aid in a fight at Kansas City, might want to give serious thought to general body piercings.

Seattle skipper Lou Pinella restrained Rhodes who was ejected even after removing his studs. A stiff breeze restrained Vizquel. I have never laughed so hard in my life.

Who can say, in a sport born of superstition, why Rhodes felt he had to wear his jewelry. Former Indians manager Mike Hargrove, as a hitter, had a routine at the plate which could hypnotize someone suffering from attention deficit disorder. No one ever asked him to stop.

But I don't believe that's why Rhodes wore the earrings. He paid good money for them, certainly a good amount if not exactly well-earned, and thought he had every right to wear them. Maybe Vizquel shouldn't have made the request. He should be able to deal with a little hardship. The ridiculous thing is that they were and are just earrings. Rhodes missed his chance to prove something to the world by simply removing the earrings and throwing for strikes. Even if he had thrown for balls he could have then claimed the removed accessories really were necessary to his game.

Seattle is almost 50 games over the .500 mark. The outstanding is now the norm, so I suppose only the absurd stands out anymore.

Oh, and one other thing. Just two weeks before, Cleveland had stunned Seattle - the runaway American League favorites - coming back from a 14-2 deficit to win 15-14. Maybe that was the reason Rhodes' ears were still ringing.

- Peter Comings is a staff writer with the Gaylord Herald Times. You may write him at PO Box 598, Gaylord, MI 49734, or e-mail him at peter@gaylordheraldtimes.com